Smite developer announces Paladins, a free-to-play online shooter

The new game teased last week by Smite developer Hi-Rez Studios has been revealed as Paladins, a free-to-play team-based shooter with strategy elements and character progression enabled through decks of ability-boosting collectible cards. Try saying that with a mouthful of marbles.

Teams in Paladins will battle to capture and hold control points, and ultimately to destroy the enemy's base while simultaneously defending their own. Each player will have a primarily weapon, a set of combat and movement abilities, and a personal mount which will move them quickly between fights. On top of that, they'll also have a customizable deck of "skill cards" that will enhance various skills and abilities.

"Paladins has been a passion project of ours from the beginning," Senior Producer Mick Larkins said. "We’ve dedicated a separate team from Smite to work on it, and while we are still early in development, we know we’re crafting something very special. Paladins is extremely quick, with a great deal of depth in how it blends action, tactics, and teamwork, and we’re excited for gamers to start discovering all it has to offer."

The game will be playable at Gamescom, but isn't slated to come out until sometime next year. In the meantime, more information and a link to sign up for the closed beta are up at Paladins.com, and you can lay your eyes on some of the Paladins characters in the renders below.